Phonograph



(No Model.)

T. A. EDISON..

PHONOGRAPH.

No. 488,189. Patentd Deo. Z0, 1892.

ICI

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

THOMAS A. EDISON,'OF LLEWELLYN PARK, NEW' JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE EDISONPHONOGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

PHONOGRAPH.

SPEGIFICA'IIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,189, datedDecember 20, 1892.

Application filed May 29, 1888. Serial No. 275,441. (No model.)

To` all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. EDISON, o Llewellyn Park,in the countyy ofEssex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Phonographs, (Oase No. 776,) of which the following is aspecification.

My phonograph is provided with a cutting tool for turning off thesurface of the wax phonogram blank so that the blank may be used overagain after it has once been filled with a record. This tool I haveheretofore mounted on the rocking holding arm, which carries therecorder and reproducer, but near the pivot of such arm, so that thetool acted upon the opposite side of the phonogram blank from therecorder and reproducer. This made it necessary for me to adjust therecorder out of action while the cutting tool was in use for turning othe surface of the phonogram blank; hence it became necessary to waitwhile this was being done before the phonograph could be used forrecording. I have found, however, that by mounting t-he cutting tool soas to act upon the surface of the phonogram blank near to the point ofthe recorder the old record can be turned 0E and a new record made atthe same time; the recording point being adjusted slightly deeper thanthe tool so as to record the whole amplitude of the loudest vibrations.When the recording point and cutting tool are placed at a distance fromeach other as heretofore,

their radial distances from the center on which they turn being widelydifferent, when they are adjusted simultaneously they do not move to thesame extent, and consequently the depth to which they enter the surfaceis widely different; but l now place the points in such proximity thatthey have substantially the same radial distance from the center orpivot of the rocking holding arm, and this enables them to be moved tothe same extent and therefore to be adjusted simultaneously andpermitted to operate simultaneously upon the phonogramblank.

My present invention relates to providing the phonograph with a cuttingtool which will be adapted for action simultaneously with the use of therecorder.

In the accompanying drawings forming part hereof,-Figure 1 is a sideview of the holding arm and attached parts showing the cutting tool andrecorder in simultaneous action ,-Fig. 2 is a view, from the oppositeside, of the holding arm, showing graduated head for adjusting the depthof the cutting tool; and Fig. 3, a plan View of the phonogram blankshowing the relative positions of the cutting tool and the recordingpoint.

A, is the rocking holding arm carrying on its upper end the swingingframe B, on which is placed the recorder, whose cutting or recordingpoint is shown at a. To the side of the rocking holding arm A near toits upper end is pivoted a lever O at the point b, which lever carries acutting knife D projecting forward close to the recording point a. Thiscutting knife is removably attached to the lever so thatit can bereplaced when required by a new knife. The lever O projects in rear ofits pivot and has a spring fork c at its rear end drawn together upon acam cl by a screw e. This cam d is mounted on aturning stem; the head fof which is provided with scale marks or graduations as shown, so thatthe extent to which the cam is turned may be accurately determined. Theframe B is provided with a set screw f which bears upon the guide restE. The head g of the screw f is provided with scale marks or graduationsas shown so that the point of adjustment of the screw can be accuratelydetermined. The bearing of the screw f on the guide rest E determinesthe limit of forward movement of the rocking holding arm, and the frameB attached to it, and by adjusting the screw f the recording point a, aswell as the cuttingknife D, are moved toward or away from the surface ofthe phonogram blank and substantially to the same extent by reason oftheir close proximity.

In using the instrument, after a blank has once been filled with arecord, the cam d will be adjusted so as to bring the point of the knifeD into the proper relation to the recording point a; the screw f willthen be adj usted so as to let the recording point aand the knife D theproper distance into the wax surface of the phonogram blank. The knife Dis of course considerably wider than the recording point a, so thatasmooth track will be cut by the knife D in advance of the r cordingpoint, the knife being set in advance of the recording point in thedirection of the longitudinal movement of said point, as is illustratedin Fig. 3. The machine being started, the knife D will turn off therecord already on the blank, While the recording point a will record thesounds which are produced in the speaking tube connected With therecorder, and thus a new record can be made without the delay of firstturning the old record off.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a phonograph, the combination of a recorder and a cutting toolmounted upon the phonograph, With their points in close proximity andhaving common adjusting means for adjusting their position together andpractically to the same extent With relation to the surface of thephonogram blank, subn stantially as set forth.

2. In a phonograph, the combination of a recorderand a cutting toolhaving their points in close proximity and having a common meansforadjusting them together and practicall)7 to the same extent Withrelation to the surface of the phonogram blank, and adjusting means forvarying the relative position of the recording point and the cuttingtool, substantially as set forth.

3. In a phonograph, the combination with the rocking holding arm, of arecorder mounted thereon and a cutting tool carried by such rockingholding arm and having its point in such close proximity to therecording point, as to be at substantially the same radial distance fromthe pivot of said arm, substantially as set forth.

4. In a phonograph, the combination With the rocking holding arm, of arecorder and cutting tool carried thereby and having their points insuch close proximity, as to have substantially the same radial distancefrom the pivot of said arm the guide rest and the adjusting screw ridingon such guide rest, substantially as set forth.

5. In a phonograph, the combination With the rocking holding arm, of alever pivoted thereon carrying a cutting tool at its forward end andhaving a forked shank embracing a cam, by the turning of which theposition of the cutting tool is adjusted, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 26th day of May,.l888.

'll-IOS. A. EDISON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM -PELZER, A. W. KIDDLE.

